Publications by authors named "Vita F"
From diagnosis to rehabilitation of trigger finger: a narrative review.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord
December 2024
Trigger finger (TF), also known as stenosing flexor tenosynovitis, is a common pathology of the fingers causing functional deficit of the hand. In recent years, new therapeutic approaches such as extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) and ultrasound-guided (USG) procedures have joined the most traditional conservative treatments as the adaptation of daily activities involving the affected hand and the orthosis. Likewise, the ultrasound (US) examination of the affected finger using modern high-frequency probes has progressively become part of the comprehensive assessment of patients with TF coupled with the medical history, the physical examination, and the functional scales.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Vitamin D (VD) has immunoregulatory properties, generating interest in its potential to influence therapeutic outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), other than affecting the expression of genes encoding enzymes and transporters involved in drug metabolism and transport. This study investigated VD-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as predictors of clinical responses in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) treated with vedolizumab (VDZ) or ustekinumab (UST) after 3 (T3) and 12 months (T12), as well as the achievement of fecal calprotectin (FC) levels < 250 mg/kg, a marker of mucosal healing. : In this prospective study, 103 patients (67 CD, 36 UC) were enrolled, 40 receiving VDZ and 63 receiving UST.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Paclitaxel plus ramucirumab is being evaluated as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer, comparing it with continued oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy.
- The ARMANI trial involved 280 patients, who were randomly assigned to receive either the new treatment regimen or continue with their current chemotherapy for an additional 12 weeks.
- The primary goal of the study was to determine if the new treatment improved progression-free survival compared to the standard chemotherapy, with safety being closely monitored throughout the trial.
Priming modulates plant stress responses before the stress appears, increasing the ability of the primed plant to endure adverse conditions and thrive. In this context, we investigated the effect of biological (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - This case study discusses a 34-year-old patient with type 1 diabetes who developed bilateral camptodactyly, illustrating a rare musculoskeletal complication associated with diabetes.
- - Key symptoms include joint deformities, peripheral neuropathy, and cataracts, highlighting the interconnected nature of diabetes and musculoskeletal disorders.
- - It emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach in treatment, as conventional diabetes management alone is insufficient for addressing these complex complications.
Salinity represents a considerable environmental risk, exerting deleterious effects on horticultural crops. Nanotechnology has recently emerged as a promising avenue for enhancing plant tolerance to abiotic stress. Among nanoparticles, cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO NPs) have been demonstrated to mitigate certain stress effects, including salinity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Adhesive capsulitis (AC), or frozen shoulder, is a painful condition typically affecting people aged 40-60, and diagnosing it can be difficult due to its gradual onset and different stages.
- A new scoring system was created to improve the diagnosis of AC, assessing factors like patient history, imaging results, and other health conditions.
- This scoring system successfully categorized patients, helping to identify those with clear cases of AC, uncertain diagnoses, or excluded them from having the condition altogether, which could lead to better treatment strategies.
Low back pain is a prevalent condition affecting 60-85% of individuals during their lifetime. Despite various proposed mechanisms, the etiology of low back pain remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of combining ultrasound-guided infiltrations with early rehabilitation in reducing pain and improving functional limitations in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A study was conducted to create and validate a new protocol called THD-US for detecting tendinopathy in patients with hemophilia using ultrasound.
- Twenty male patients with hemophilic arthropathy were evaluated, resulting in analyses of 200 tendons for abnormalities such as structural changes, hyperemia, and calcifications.
- The THD-US protocol offers a standardized and efficient way to assess tendon issues in hemophilia patients, which could lead to better management and outcomes for these individuals.
Article Synopsis
- Adhesive capsulitis, or "frozen shoulder," is a painful condition linked to recent COVID-19 impacts, and treatment focuses on easing pain and improving shoulder mobility.
- A study involving 36 patients examined treatment outcomes from either glenohumeral hydrodistension or a combination of hydrodistension and bursal injection over 6 months.
- Results revealed that the combined treatment led to significantly better improvements in shoulder motion and pain reduction compared to hydrodistension alone.
Background: Emerging evidence supports tumor tissue-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Data on liquid biopsy-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) CGP are scarce and mainly retrospective. Prospective comparison between the two tests is not currently available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Elbow fractures, characterized by their complexity, present significant challenges in post-surgical recovery, with rehabilitation playing a critical role in functional outcomes. This study explores the efficacy of rehabilitative interventions in enhancing joint range of motion (ROM) and reducing complications following surgery for both stable and unstable elbow fractures.
Methods: A cohort of 15 patients, divided based on the stability of their elbow fractures and whether they received post-operative rehabilitation, was analyzed retrospectively.
Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided hydrodissection treatment for De Quervain's stenosing tenosynovitis, characterized by the narrowing of the first extensor compartment of the wrist. Notably, approximately 2% of cases involve a fibrous septum that divides the compartment.
Subjects And Methods: Ninety-five patients diagnosed with De Quervain's disease using ultrasound underwent hydrodissection treatment.
Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) first-line therapy often consists of polychemotherapy regimens, but choosing a second-line therapy after disease progression, especially following first-line FOLFIRINOX, remains a clinical challenge. This study presents results from a large, multicenter, retrospective analysis of Italian patients with metastatic PC (mPC) treated with Nab-paclitaxel/Gemcitabine (AG) as second or later line of treatment. Main objective of the study is to identify prognostic factors that could inform treatment decisions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of endoscopic carpal tunnel release (ECTR) versus open carpal tunnel release (OCTR) in treating carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), focusing on symptom relief, functional recovery and post-operative complications.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 44 patients diagnosed with CTS, randomly assigned to undergo either ECTR (n=23) or OCTR (n=21). Parameters evaluated included post-operative pain, grip strength, functional status using the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score and time to return to work.
Article Synopsis
- Lumbar back pain is a leading cause of disability globally, affecting most people at some point in their lives, particularly due to degenerative spine issues in the elderly.
- Treatment costs for back pain are significant, prompting a shift towards interventional radiology, which offers less invasive, image-guided procedures as alternatives to traditional surgery.
- This review highlights various minimally invasive techniques for managing degenerative spine-related pain, emphasizing the role of radiologists in employing advanced imaging for effective diagnosis and treatment, thereby improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
Introduction: The Wide-Awake-Local-Anesthesia-No-Tourniquet (WALANT) technique is being used progressively more and more in hand surgery as it avoids tourniquet-related complications and saves money.
Materials And Methods: In the present study, we analyzed our cases of carpal tunnel syndrome or trigger finger operated upon with this technique from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022.
Results: We obtained 822 cases (426 carpal tunnel syndrome, 396 trigger finger) with an overall anesthesiologic efficacy (no need of additional anesthetic) of 97.
Article Synopsis
- Adhesive capsulitis, or "frozen shoulder," is a painful condition that occurs in three phases: freezing, frozen, and thawing, and effective treatments for it are still being researched.
- This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a treatment combining gleno-humeral hydrodistension and physical therapy in patients with adhesive capsulitis, specifically those in phase 1 and phase 2 of the condition.
- Results showed significant improvements in shoulder movement and pain relief for patients in both phases, especially for those diagnosed earlier, indicating that early intervention may lead to better recovery outcomes.
: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) represent a rare subset of pancreatic cancer. Functional tumors cause hormonal changes and clinical syndromes, while non-functional ones are often diagnosed late. Surgical management needs multidisciplinary planning, involving enucleation, distal pancreatectomy with or without spleen preservation, central pancreatectomy, pancreaticoduodenectomy or total pancreatectomy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * This study reviews existing literature to identify the best timing for initiating physical therapy, using peer-reviewed articles and PRISMA guidelines, and includes 14 studies focusing on various recovery outcomes.
- * The findings show that starting physical therapy early can lead to better results in reducing low back pain and disability over time, without increasing the risk of complications, especially after procedures like lumbar discectomy.
Article Synopsis
- Adhesive capsulitis (AC) is a painful condition affecting shoulder movement and can stem from various causes, including trauma and diabetes, with calcific tendinitis (CT) being a potential trigger.
- A study was conducted from October 2022 to June 2023, enrolling 78 patients known to have CT, assessing for signs of AC through ultrasound examinations.
- Results showed 33.3% of patients exhibited signs of AC, with significant differences in measurements between patients with both AC and CT compared to those with just CT, indicating a strong correlation.
Background: Endophytes mediate the interactions between plants and other microorganisms, and the functional aspects of interactions between endophytes and their host that support plant-growth promotion and tolerance to stresses signify the ecological relevance of the endosphere microbiome. In this work, we studied the bacterial and fungal endophytic communities of olive tree (Olea europaea L.) asymptomatic or low symptomatic genotypes sampled in groves heavily compromised by Xylella fastidiosa subsp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- This study looks at how often and consistently patients with psoriasis use different drugs over 1 to 5 years, specifically focusing on medications like Adalimumab and others.
- Researchers used real-life data to measure how well patients adhered to their treatment plans using the Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) method.
- While adherence to treatment was generally good, the study found that persistence (the duration patients stay on treatment) dropped significantly after the second year, highlighting the need for better strategies to encourage long-term treatment.
Article Synopsis
- - Chronic thoracic pain can be difficult to diagnose and treat, especially when it stems from uncommon issues like osteo-muscular conflicts, as seen in a unique case involving a male patient with right tenth rib pain.
- - The patient, who had suffered from this pain for ten years without relief from conservative treatments, underwent a CT scan that revealed a conflict between the rib and his internal oblique muscle, leading to a surgical solution.
- - This case highlights the value of advanced diagnostic methods and targeted surgical procedures in resolving complex pain conditions, suggesting that personalized treatment approaches can significantly improve patient outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- The study is a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on how correcting lumbosacral kyphosis can affect high-grade spondylolisthesis (HGS), which involves significant vertebral displacement and a kyphotic deformity.
- Results from 18 studies showed a significant decrease in pelvic tilt and an increase in sacral slope post-surgery, although changes in lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis were not statistically significant.
- The findings suggest that while there are mild changes in certain spinal parameters after HGS reduction, the clinical significance of these changes is still uncertain.